Thursday, July 28 2005 11:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: The Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate between six nations, including India and the US, will work toward pollution reduction and addressing concerns over climate change in the region which accounts for almost half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, US President George W Bush has said.

India, the United States, Australia, Japan, China and South Korea have joined hands "To develop and accelerate deployment of cleaner, more efficient energy technologies to meet national pollution reduction, energy security, and climate change concerns in ways that reduce poverty and promote economic development," Bush said in a statement.

The President said he has directed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Energy Secretary Sam Bodman to meet with their counterparts to provide direction in this regard.

The alliance will focus on measures by the six countries, which account for more than 40 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, to create investment opportunities, build local capacity, and remove barriers in the way of clean and efficient technologies, the presidential statement said.

The partnership will help each country meet nationally designed strategies for improving energy security, reducing pollution, and addressing the long-term challenge of climate change, it claimed.

The pact will focus on energy efficiency, methane captures and use, rural energy systems, clean coal, civilian nuclear power, advanced transportation, liquefied natural gas, bioenergy, agriculture/forestry, hydel, wind and solar power.

The rapid, sustained economic progress of poor nations will lead to dramatic environmental improvements.

The best way to help nations develop, while limiting pollution and improving public health, is to promote technologies for generating energy that is clean, affordable, and secure, the statement said.

Alluding to the Kyoto Protocol, which has not been signed by the US, it said, "Some have suggested the best solution to environmental challenges and climate change is to oppose development and put the world on an energy diet. But today (July 28, 2005), about two billion people have no access to any form of modern energy and blocking that access would condemn them to permanent poverty, disease, high infant mortality, polluted water, and polluted air".

Climate change is a serious long-term issue, requiring sustained action over many generations by both developed and developing countries, the statement said.

"We oppose any policy that would achieve reductions by putting Americans out of work, or by simply shifting emissions from one country to another. Like us, developing countries are unlikely to join in approaches that foreclose their own economic growth and development."

Jim Connaughton, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, said "India has a very strong need when it comes to rural and village-based energy systems. China has a strong and compelling need for cleaner base load energy systems. What we wanted them to do was design strategies that have much greater relevance to each country's national circumstances."

Stressing that the new pact will not replace the Kyoto Protocol, he said the six countries will build on existing bilateral agreements to work on technology initiatives.